Ousmane Sonko

Ousmane Sonko is a Senegalese politician who leads the ruling Pastef (Patriotes africains du Sénégal pour le travail, l'éthique et la fraternité) party and currently serves as speaker of Senegal's National Assembly. A charismatic figure with strong youth support, he was barred from standing in the 2024 presidential election because of a defamation conviction, and instead backed his ally Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who won and appointed him Prime Minister. Sonko served as Prime Minister from 2024 until May 2026, when President Faye dismissed his government amid growing tension over how to handle Senegal's debt crisis, which followed revelations of misreported borrowing under former President Macky Sall. As Prime Minister, Sonko was a vocal opponent of any debt restructuring, calling it a potential "disgrace" for the country and resisting International Monetary Fund conditions. After his dismissal, lawmakers elected him speaker of the National Assembly, a position from which he retains significant influence over government policy and the ability to complicate Faye's reform agenda. He later softened his rhetoric, saying he did not hold "rigid positions" on debt restructuring, though he continued to warn against measures he saw as undermining Senegal's long-term economic interests. Sonko has also driven a contested push for constitutional reform to expand parliamentary powers at the president's expense, a move the Constitutional Court struck down as unconstitutional. His evolving relationship with Faye, from political allies to rivals, has become central to Senegal's efforts to resolve its debt crisis and negotiate a new IMF programme.